I got my shoes and my heart rate monitor! I had to go for an extra 20 minute run on Friday morning even though it wasn't part of the workout to test them both out.
I love my shoes. They are so light, bright and pretty. I did something rather embarrassing and dumb with my HRM though which had me wondering if it worked properly. I did that run then 25 more minutes of exercise and it said I only burnt 45 calories!
I'm like what the hell, so I looked on the website and discovered I had been wearing the HRM belt around the wrong way! Oops. Thought it felt kinda ouchy when I was doing sit ups. Haha.
I'm finding my boyfriends lack of support for my mission doesn't bother me so much anymore. I've lost 6 kilos so far and I 'm finding it quite easy to ignore his comments of he can't tell etc etc blah blah blah. Like yeah it would be better if he was supportive, but then maybe I wouldn't want to try so hard. Knowing he doesn't think I can do it, motivates me to never give up!
I have been reading about running lately, as I'm starting to love it (omg yeah i know) and it seems there is no such thing as “perfect” running form, but rather that there is a “best” running form for each individual given the peculiarities of their own anatomy, physiology, and personal history (shoes, activity level, etc.). Unfortunately, I suspect that many individuals are in fact not running with the best form for them, and that this might indeed be the fault of the shoes on their feet.
Also it seems there is not a perfect shoe for all runners, nor do I think everyone should go barefoot. To be honest, I don’t even think science currently provides particularly good answers as to what any individual should wear or not wear on their feet. I think runner’s need not be afraid to experiment, and that they should take what they are told in most running stores with a grain of salt.
Be wary of someone who gives you a selection of shoes based on your sitting or standing arch height, and don’t put too much stock in prescriptions based on degree of pronation observed on a treadmill (and even less on pronation observed when you walk across a store!). The pronation control model may be useful at the extremes or as a starting point for looking at shoes, but runner’s need not feel locked in for life if told that they “overpronate.” Overpronation “diagnoses” are subjective and will likely vary depending on who is looking at you – go to three stores, and you may be told three different things (and yes, I have heard of this happening).
What’s more, there isn’t even strong evidence that overpronation is a huge risk factor for injury. Best to find an open-minded salesperson who can offer you practical advice based on experience running in lots of shoes. Tell them what you like in a shoe – firm or soft, wide or narrow, high heel or low heel, arch support or flat insole – they can narrow down choices for you based on far more than just pronation control.
I pretty much just chose my shoes by comparing two pairs I liked the look of, and choosing the one that looked the best. The sales girl wasn't all that helpful anyway. I thought I would like a light shoe that was firm on my foot, so the two I compared between were similar in these aspects. My old runners where to bulky for my runners and also had short laces which always came undone. So far I am very happy with my choice of the New Balance.
It seems stretching does not prevent delayed onset muscle soreness, neither when performed before or after exercise, and one stretching exercise may not be enough to prevent all types of injury, and therefore, multiple stretching exercises should be used to gain the full effects of stretching. I am pretty good at doing my stretches except for if I'm running late and I actually like the after workout muscle soreness, as it reminds me I have worked out!
"Ask yourself If what your doing today, is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow".
